JP2003017763A - Substrate for thermo-electric module, method of fabricating the same module and thermo-electric module utilizing substrate for thermo-electric module - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate of a thermo-electric module, which can easily and accurately mount a thermo-electric element and can enhance fixing strength. SOLUTION: A plurality of conductive patterns 2, 10 are formed keeping interval between these patterns on the surface of an insulated substrate 1 and positioning guides 9 are formed on respective conductive patterns 2, 10 to guide thermo-electric elements 5 mounted on the conductive patterns 2, 10. The positioning guides 9 are located at the stepped area between a recessed area where thermo-electric elements 5 to be mounted are allocated and thick area surrounding the recessed area. The thermo-electric elements 5 are easily and accurately positioned by mounting the thermo-electric elements 5 to the recessed area surrounding the positioning guides 9. Thereby, jointing area between thermo-electric elements 5 and conductive patterns 2, 10 can be defined accurately.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a thermoelectric element for mounting a plurality of thermoelectric elements, such as a Peltier element for cooling and heating by passing an electric current or a Seebeck element for generating electric power, on the surface of a substrate. The present invention relates to a module substrate, a method for manufacturing the same, and a thermoelectric module using the thermoelectric module substrate.

[0002]

BACKGROUND ART A Peltier element generally known as a thermoelectric element has a p, n, or n content obtained by adding an element such as antimony or selenium to an intermetallic compound such as bismuth tellurium.
A p-type element is formed, the p-type and n-type elements are alternately arranged in series with an injection electrode interposed, and a voltage is applied to both ends of the series element to flow a current, thereby cooling the element-electrode interface.
It is an element that produces a heating effect.

In FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b), a plurality of thermoelectric elements 5 such as Peltier elements are arranged between thermoelectric module substrates 6 and 7 which are superposed on each other with a gap therebetween. An example of a thermoelectric module formed by the above is shown. (A) of the same figure is an explanatory view showing the thermoelectric module in a disassembled state, and (b) of the same figure is a sectional view of the thermoelectric module. As shown in these figures, the thermoelectric module substrates 6, 7
Is alumina (Al ₂ O ₃ ) having a thickness of about 0.3 to 1 mm
A plurality of conductive patterns (electrodes) 2 and 10 made of copper or the like are formed on the surface side of an insulating substrate 1 made of a ceramic thin plate or the like.

The thermoelectric element 5 is made of p-type or n-type bismuth tellurium or the like having a diameter of about 0.6 to 3 mm and a length of about 0.5 to 3 mm, and extends along the substrate surfaces of the thermoelectric module substrates 6 and 7. The p-type thermoelectric element 5 and the n-type thermoelectric element 5 are alternately arranged next to each other. The ends of the thermoelectric elements 5 are connected to the conductive patterns 2 and 10 on the upper and lower thermoelectric module substrates 6 and 7, respectively, and the p-type thermoelectric elements 5 and the n-type thermoelectric elements 5 are alternately connected in series. ing.

The thermoelectric element 5 and the conductive pattern 2,
10 is fixed by solder, an adhesive, or the like (not shown). The conductive pattern 10 functions as a lead terminal electrode, and the lead terminal 8 is connected to the conductive pattern 10.

When manufacturing the above thermoelectric module,
For example, first, thin film conductive patterns 2, 1 such as copper foil
0 is formed on the surface of the insulating substrate 1, solder is further formed by plating, etc., and the p and n type thermoelectric elements 5 cut into set dimensions are alternately formed on the conductive patterns 2 and 10 of the thermoelectric module substrate 6. Put.

Then, the thermoelectric module substrate 6 on which the thermoelectric elements 5 are arranged is conveyed to a tunnel furnace, and the conductive patterns 2 and 10 of the thermoelectric element 5 and the thermoelectric module substrate 6 are fixed in the tunnel furnace. After fixing, the thermoelectric module substrate 7 is placed on the upper side, heat treated by the same method, and fixed with solder or the like to manufacture a thermoelectric module. In addition, the thermoelectric element 5 is formed into a conductive pattern 2 by using an adhesive instead of solder.
It is also fixed on 10.

[0008]

However, since the conventional thermoelectric module substrates 6 and 7 are formed with smooth conductive patterns 2 and 10 such as copper foil, positioning of the thermoelectric element 5 is difficult, There is a problem that a large-scale positioning device is required to accurately fix the thermoelectric element 5 at the set position.

Further, the conventional thermoelectric module substrates 6, 7
In the above, since the surfaces of the conductive patterns 2 and 10 are smooth, the thermoelectric element 5 may be misaligned with the conductive patterns 2 and 10 while the thermoelectric element 5 is placed and then conveyed to a tunnel furnace. There is also a problem that the bonding area of the thermoelectric element 5 with the conductive patterns 2 and 10 becomes small, and the fixing strength of the thermoelectric element 5 becomes insufficient.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and can easily and easily position a thermoelectric element mounted on a conductive pattern formed on a substrate.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a thermoelectric module substrate that can be accurately performed and has a sufficient fixing strength of a mounted thermoelectric element, a method for manufacturing the same, and a thermoelectric module using the thermoelectric module substrate.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following constitution as means for solving the problem. That is, the thermoelectric module substrate of the first invention has a plurality of conductive patterns arranged on the surface of the substrate at intervals, and the thermoelectric modules mounted on the conductive patterns are formed on the respective conductive patterns. A structure in which a positioning guide portion that guides the element is formed is a means for solving the problem.

The method for manufacturing a thermoelectric module substrate of the second invention is the method for manufacturing a thermoelectric module substrate of the first invention, wherein a metal film for forming a conductive pattern is formed on the surface of the substrate. Forming a resist on a plurality of thermoelectric element mounting sites on the surface of the metal film and plating the surface of the metal film excluding the resist forming region, thereby forming the resist more than the thickness of the metal film in the resist forming region. The thickness of the metal film around the region is increased to form a step portion of the thickness of the metal film as a positioning guide portion, and thereafter, a portion other than the conductive pattern formation region is removed by etching to remove each of the above. As a means for solving the problem, there is provided a configuration in which a plurality of conductive patterns having positioning guide portions are formed in an array at intervals in the resist forming region with an interval therebetween. There.

Further, the thermoelectric module of the third invention is
Thermoelectric module substrates having a plurality of conductive patterns formed thereon are superposed and arranged with a gap therebetween, and between these thermoelectric module substrates, a p-type thermoelectric element and an n-type thermoelectric element are provided along the substrate surface. The thermoelectric elements are alternately arranged next to each other, and the end portions of these thermoelectric elements are connected to the conductive patterns on the upper and lower thermoelectric module substrates to alternately connect the p-type thermoelectric elements and the n-type thermoelectric elements in series. At least one side of the upper and lower thermoelectric module substrates of the connected thermoelectric modules is formed by the thermoelectric module substrate of the first invention as means for solving the problem.

In the thermoelectric module substrate of the present invention having the above-mentioned structure, a positioning guide portion for guiding the thermoelectric elements mounted on the conductive patterns is formed on each conductive pattern arranged on the substrate surface with a space therebetween. Therefore, the thermoelectric element mounted on the conductive pattern can be easily and accurately positioned without using a large-scale device or the like.

Further, the thermoelectric module substrate of the present invention is
It can be formed using the manufacturing method, for example,
Form a resist formation area on multiple thermoelectric element mounting sites,
Since the thickness of the surrounding metal film can be increased to form the step portion of the thickness of the metal film as the positioning guide portion, by placing the thermoelectric element at the thermoelectric element mounting portion, it is possible to transport the thermoelectric module substrate, etc. Since it is possible to prevent the thermoelectric element from being displaced, it is possible to prevent the bonding area between the thermoelectric element and the conductive pattern from becoming small, and the thermoelectric element can be fixed with sufficiently high strength.

[0016]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same components as those of the conventional example will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted or simplified. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a thermoelectric module substrate according to the present invention together with a thermoelectric element 5 mounted on this substrate.

As shown in the figure, a thermoelectric module substrate
6 is a plurality of conductive patterns 2 on the surface of the insulating substrate 1.
Positioning guide parts 9 for forming thermoelectric elements 5 mounted on the conductive patterns 2 and 10 on the respective conductive patterns 2 and 10 by arranging 10 arranged in a spaced manner.
Is formed.

Also in this embodiment, the insulating substrate 1,
The configuration of the thermoelectric element 5 is the same as that of the conventional example, and the conductive patterns 2 and 10 are also formed of copper foil. However, in the present embodiment example, the copper foil is provided with irregularities, and the concave portions are provided with the thermoelectric element 5. And the stepped portion between the concave portion and the convex portion is used as the positioning guide portion 9 of the thermoelectric element 5.

The method for manufacturing the thermoelectric module substrate 6 of this embodiment will be described below. First, FIG. 2 (a)
As shown in (b) of the same figure, a metal film 2a for forming the conductive patterns 2 and 10 is formed on the surface of the insulating substrate 1 as the substrate shown in FIG. As shown in the drawing, a resist 3 for plating is formed by printing or the like on a plurality of thermoelectric element mounting sites on the surface of the metal film 2a in correspondence with the shape of the thermoelectric element 5. In this embodiment, the thermoelectric element 5 has a cylindrical shape and the resist 3 has a perfect circular shape.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3A, by plating the surface of the metal film 2a excluding the area where the plating resist 3 is formed, the metal film 2a in the area where the resist 3 is formed is plated. The thickness of the metal film 2b around the region where the resist 3 is formed is made thicker than the thickness of the resist film 3 to form the stepped portion having the thickness of the metal films 2a and 2b as the positioning guide portion 9.

After that, a photoresist 4 for etching is formed by printing or the like in the formation regions of the conductive patterns 2 and 10, and the formation site of the photoresist 4 (formation region of the conductive patterns 2 and 10) is formed. By removing the removed portion by etching, each of the plating resists 3 is removed.
A plurality of conductive patterns 2 and 10 each having a positioning guide portion 9 are arranged and formed in a region of the formation region of the conductive pattern 2 with a space therebetween.

After that, the resist 3 and the photoresist 4 are dissolved and removed with an alkaline solution. The resist 3 may be removed before the photoresist 4 is formed.

The example of the present embodiment is manufactured as described above, and as shown in FIG. 1, the positioning guide 9 is used with the positioning guide 9 of the conductive patterns 2 and 10 as a guide.
By mounting the thermoelectric element 5 in the concave portion (mounting portion of the thermoelectric element 5) surrounded by and fixing it with solder or the like, it is possible to very easily and accurately connect the plurality of thermoelectric elements 5 to the corresponding conductive pattern. 2, 10 can be implemented.

Further, since the thermoelectric module substrate 6 of the present embodiment example forms a step on each conductive pattern 2 and 10 and uses the step portion as the positioning guide portion 9, the thermoelectric module substrate 6 is Since the thermoelectric element 5 can be prevented from being displaced during transportation and the joint area between the thermoelectric element 5 and the conductive patterns 2 and 10 can be prevented from becoming small, the thermoelectric element 5 can be fixed with sufficiently high strength. it can.

FIG. 4 shows a method of manufacturing a thermoelectric module using the thermoelectric module substrate 6 of this embodiment. As described above, the thermoelectric element 5 corresponding to the conductive patterns 2 and 10 of the thermoelectric module substrate 6 of the present embodiment example is mounted, and further, the lead terminals 8 are connected to the conductive pattern 10 to form a plurality of elements. The thermoelectric module substrate 7 is arranged above the thermoelectric element 5. If the thermoelectric module substrate 7 is also configured in the same manner as the thermoelectric module substrate 6 of this embodiment, the thermoelectric module substrate 7 and the thermoelectric element 5 can be positioned easily and accurately.

Then, the thermoelectric element 5 and the conductive patterns 2 and 10 are fixed by soldering or the like by heat treatment, whereby the thermoelectric module of the present invention is manufactured. 5A shows a perspective view of the thermoelectric module manufactured in this way, and FIG. 5B shows a sectional view thereof.

The thermoelectric module shown in FIG.
Is mounted on the thermoelectric module substrate 6, the p-type thermoelectric elements 5 and the n-type thermoelectric elements 5 are alternately arranged side by side along the substrate surface, and the end portions of each of these thermoelectric elements 5 are arranged. The upper and lower thermoelectric module substrates 6 and 7 are connected to the conductive patterns 2 and 10, and p-type thermoelectric elements 5 and n-type thermoelectric elements 5 are alternately connected in series.

When the thermoelectric module substrate 6 of this embodiment and the thermoelectric module substrate 7 having the same structure are applied to form the thermoelectric module as described above, the thermoelectric element 5 is formed.
Can be mounted easily and accurately, the yield of the thermoelectric module can be improved, the cost can be reduced, and the fixing strength of the thermoelectric element 5 can be sufficiently increased, so that the long-term reliability of the thermoelectric module can be improved. .

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and various embodiments can be adopted. For example, in the above embodiment, the thermoelectric element 5 is formed in a cylindrical shape,
In accordance with this, the positioning guide portion 9 is formed in a shape surrounding a recess having a perfect circular cross section, but the thermoelectric element 5 may be formed in, for example, a prism shape. Positioning guide part 9 in a shape surrounding the concave part of
Should be formed. In this way, the shape of the positioning guide portion 9 is set appropriately.

In the above embodiment, the conductive patterns 2 and 10 are formed of copper foil, but the conductive patterns 2 and 10 may be formed of various metal foils (metal films) other than copper foil. it can.

Further, in the above embodiment, when fixing the thermoelectric element 5 to the conductive patterns 2 and 10 of the thermoelectric module substrates 6 and 7 by soldering, the thermoelectric element 5 is fixed to the thermoelectric module 5 by an adhesive. It may be fixed to the conductive patterns 2 and 10 of the substrates 6 and 7.

[0032]

According to the thermoelectric module substrate of the present invention, a positioning guide for guiding a thermoelectric element mounted on the conductive pattern is formed on each conductive pattern arrayed on the substrate surface with a gap. Since the portion is formed, the thermoelectric element mounted on the conductive pattern can be easily and accurately positioned without using a large-scale device or the like.

The thermoelectric module substrate of the present invention is
It can be formed using the manufacturing method, for example,
Form a resist formation area on multiple thermoelectric element mounting sites,
Since the thickness of the metal film around it can be increased to form the step portion of the thickness of the metal film as the positioning guide portion, by placing the thermoelectric element at the thermoelectric element mounting portion, when carrying the substrate for the thermoelectric module, etc. Since it is possible to prevent the mounted thermoelectric element from being displaced, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the bonding area between the thermoelectric element and the conductive pattern, and it is possible to fix the thermoelectric element with sufficiently high strength.

Further, according to the method for manufacturing a thermoelectric module substrate of the present invention, it is possible to manufacture a thermoelectric module substrate having the above-mentioned excellent effects very easily and efficiently.

Further, according to the thermoelectric module of the present invention, by constructing the thermoelectric module using the substrate for thermoelectric module of the present invention which exhibits the above-mentioned excellent effects, the production is easy and the yield is high, and the long-term reliability is high. It is possible to realize an excellent thermoelectric module suitable for temperature control of a communication laser diode or the like, which has high property.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of a thermoelectric module substrate according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing a manufacturing process of the thermoelectric module substrate of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing the manufacturing process of the thermoelectric module substrate of the embodiment example, following FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a method for manufacturing a thermoelectric module using the thermoelectric module substrate of the above-described embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing an example of a thermoelectric module formed by using the thermoelectric module substrate of the above-described embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional thermoelectric module.

[Explanation of symbols] 1 Insulating substrate 2,10 conductive pattern 5 thermoelectric elements 6,7 Thermoelectric module substrate 9 Positioning guide section

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of conductive patterns are arrayed on a surface of a substrate with a space between each other, and a positioning guide portion for guiding a thermoelectric element mounted on the conductive patterns is formed on each conductive pattern. A substrate for a thermoelectric module, which is formed. 2. The method for manufacturing a thermoelectric module substrate according to claim 1, wherein a metal film for forming a conductive pattern is formed on a surface of the substrate, and a resist is provided on a plurality of thermoelectric element mounting portions on the surface of the metal film. By forming the metal film surface excluding the resist forming region by plating, the metal film around the resist forming region is made thicker than the metal film in the resist forming region. A stepped portion having a thickness of is formed as a positioning guide portion, and thereafter, a conductive pattern having a positioning guide portion is formed in each resist forming area by etching away a portion except the conductive pattern forming area. A method of manufacturing a thermoelectric module substrate, characterized in that a plurality of them are arranged in an array with a space therebetween. 3. A thermoelectric module substrate having a plurality of conductive patterns formed thereon is superposed on each other with a space therebetween, and a space between these thermoelectric module substrates is p along the substrate surface.
Type thermoelectric elements and n-type thermoelectric elements are alternately arranged next to each other, and the end portions of each of these thermoelectric elements are connected to the conductive patterns on the upper and lower thermoelectric module substrates to form a p-type thermoelectric element. 2. A thermoelectric module substrate according to claim 1, wherein at least one side of the upper and lower thermoelectric module substrates of a thermoelectric module in which elements and n-type thermoelectric elements are alternately connected in series are formed. .